ORLANDO, Fla.,None — Sunpass is facing questions over a toll violation it sent to a deceased woman.
The woman's friends said they tried to tell Sunpass about the mistake, but the agency has refused to back down.
The woman's former caretakers, Gary and Shirley Willhide, said there's no way she could have driven through the toll in October because she had already been dead for eight months.
For the Willhides, the death of their good friend June Geesey in February hit hard. Cancer took June at the age of 78. The Willhides had power of attorney and handled her estate.
"June was a very nice little old lady," Gary said.
They thought most of it was behind them until they received a notice in mail of an unpaid toll violation of $15.75 for Geesey from October, eight months after she died, was cremated and her ashes sent to Pennsylvania.
"I wanted to know how ashes was driving the car," Gary said.
Taking a a close look at the violation, the car in the photo appears to be some sort of sedan, but even when she was alive, Geesey actually drove a large red Lincoln Navigator.
The navigator was a lease the Willhides said was taken back by the dealership while Geesey was sick with cancer.
They tried to report the errant toll violation to Sunpass, and even offered to bring in her death certificate.
"They got kinda nasty and said the violation stood," Gary said.
Sunpass said it's now looking into this specific case, but it is likely a mistake: one of 9,000 a year sent to the wrong person.
They said it's possible someone altered the tag, or the machine misread the tag. Even though the total amount owed isn't much, the Willhides said they just hope someone gets to the bottom of it.
"It's not the money, it's the principle, and how often does this happen?" Gary said.
Sunpass defended their actions, saying 9,000 mistakes a year isn't bad when you consider 2 million cars drive through the tolls each year.
Officials said they do have people who check to make sure the vehicle matches the plate, but sometimes they don't catch it.
WFTV
